Global food systems are one of the leading causes of environmental degradation; they emit between 20 and 35% of the global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, occupy around 40% of the Earth’s ice-free land area, result in both terrestrial and aquatic pollution from the use of fertilizers and is the largest driver of biodiversity loss and deforestation. The current systems are not sustainable, especially given that the World’s population is set to increase to nearly 10 billion by 2050. Is there anything that we, as consumers, can do to help combat this?
Food Waste
The State of Food and Agriculture report in 2019 stated that around 14% of the world’s food is lost after harvesting. The United Nations Environmental Programme’s Food Waste Index Report in 2021 also reported that a staggering 931 million tonnes of food was wasted in 2019: around 17% of total food production. Whilst some of this food waste is produced from retail (13%) and a chunk from the food service sector (26%), the overwhelming majority comes from households, with 61% of food waste coming from the home. Major contributors to food waste are:
- Spoilage. A large proportion of food waste is due to food not being used before it perishes. This can be due to lack of correct storage, lack of visibility in the fridge, and overbuying. Make sure you are aware of when food was purchased and try to keep an organised fridge – Tupperware and other fridge organisation purchases can help save food waste (and money!) in the long run.
- Overbuying. As mentioned above, some food gets wasted as even when food is stored correctly and visible, there is simply too much. Sales and promotions can exacerbate this, as we can sometimes buy more than we need due to the savings but then end up wasting what we have bought. Ensure you have a plan when doing the shopping.
- Poor planning. Continuing from above, not planning meals can be costly in the long run, as ingredients can get missed when they purchased and are not needed. Shopping lists to visualise how much you will need is useful, but sitting down and have a meal plan for the week can really help cut back on this.
